GAA determined to put an end to pitch invasions

Pitch invasions at GAA games will soon be a thing of the past after GAA Congress delegates tonight unanimously voted to end the practice.

A packed Slieve Donard Hotel in Newcastle, County Down heard a presentation from former President Con Hogan, chairman of a special committee convened to deal with the issue.

Kerry's Sean Walsh, Jarlath Burns of Armagh, Danny Murphy of the Ulster Council, Bob Honohan of Cork and Wexford's Ger Doyle all supported the committee's proposal, with no one speaking in favour of keeping the status quo.

GAA President Christy Cooney set up the sub-committee to examine the on-going problems with pitch invasions, which have led to major health and safety concerns at GAA stadia around the country.

The Association's Director General Paraic Duffy stated in his annual report that action must be taken immediately to avoid a potential tragedy.

The Monaghan native also urged those who slammed the GAA's attempts to keep supporters off playing surfaces to think about the accidents and injuries that have been sustained because of pitch invasions.

"Quite incredibly, our attempts to keep our supporters and players safe have been interpreted by some - including a few of our own officials at county level - as being motivated solely by a desire to bring an end to an All-Ireland final day tradition," he said.

"I consider myself a traditionalist in many respects in GAA matters, yet I would ask these people, and others who doubt the need to review our approach in this regard, to recognise the reality that there have been several very serious injuries sustained at Croke Park in recent years due to pitch invasions."